Hurt and Comfort
by JantoJones
Summary: Jack falls ill and attacks Ianto.
1. Hurt

Jack sat on the autopsy table feeling utterly miserable. Despite being wrapped in his greatcoat and two blankets, he was shivering uncontrollably. He had his hands wrapped around the steaming mug off coffee Ianto had just given him.

"Anything yet?" the Welshman asked Owen.

"Hang on," the medic replied tersely. "Just about there."

Owen was running blood and other tests on the substance Jack had been covered with an hour beforehand.

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There'd been a small rift blip and, as everyone else was busy, Jack opted to check it out himself. It didn't take him long to find the cause of the blip. He found it behind a small shrub, in a private garden near the castle. Jack took one look at the quivering orange blob and decided a containment box was in order. He quickly grabbed one from the SUV and, without touching it, managed to get the blob inside.

When he'd arrived back at the hub, he'd thrown is coat to Ianto and had taken the box down into the autopsy bay.

"What have you got for me?" Owen asked.

"No idea," the Captain replied, as he opened the box.

The thing seemed to be quivering more than it had been.

"I think I've upset it," he muttered. "Pass me a pair of gloves then stand back."

Jack pulled on the latex gloves and, very gingerly, lifted the thing out of the box. His intention had been to place it on the table so it could be scanned. The plan had gone out of the window when the blob suddenly exploded. Most of it hit Jack squaring in the face and chest.

"Shit," he cursed, turning to Owen. "I've swallowed some."

"IANTO!" The medic yelled up to the main hub.

"Problem?" asked the Welshman as he appeared through the doorway.

"Need a change of clothes for Jack and a bio-hazard container for the ones he is wearing."

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Over the following hour, Jack had grown more and more sick. He was presenting flu-like symptoms, but Owen knew he was dealing with something not of this Earth.

"Okay," the Londoner announced. "I don't know what it is."

"Brilliant diagnosis Dr Harper," said Jack hoarsely.

"I've only had an hour," Owen retorted. "I need to do a lot more tests. I can tell you that your illness is a direct result of the orange gloop. In the meantime Jack, you need to rest and warm up. I don't think your bunker is an adequate place to do that."

"What about my flat?" Ianto asked, concern shining in his blue eyes.

Owen shrugged. "Don't see why not. I don't think it's contagious. You'll have to whack your heating right up, so it won't be comfortable for you."

"Not a problem," the Welshman asserted.

"I'll help you to get him there, just give me a minute to get him some medication."

"I am here you know," Jack croaked. "You don't need to talk over me."

"Sorry Jack."

"Come on then," Ianto urged his ailing Captain. "Let's get you to the SUV."

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Jack was asleep as soon as he lay down in Ianto's bed. He'd grumbled about being made to wear pyjamas, a dressing gown and socks, but his complaints fell on deaf ears. Ianto pressed a kiss against the Captain's forehead before joining Owen back in the living room.

"Tell me you can cure him Owen."

The medic regarded Ianto carefully. One thing he'd hated about working in a hospital was having to reassure loved ones when he didn't have any answers. However, this was Ianto, and he would know if he was trying to spare his feelings.

"I have no idea mate, sorry," he finally confessed. He handed Ianto a medicine bottle. "This is liquid paracetamol; it should help with the fever. I'll do my best Yan. Try not to worry."

The medic placed a reassuring hand on Ianto's shoulder and instructed him to call if Jack made a turn for the worse.

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Four hours later, Ianto was dozing awkwardly on a kitchen chair, which he'd taken into the bedroom. He was brought to full alertness by Jack yelling. He was shouting in a language Ianto didn't recognise, but he seemed to be very angry. The younger man laid a calming hand on the Captain's chest, but this seemed to anger him further. Jack grabbed Ianto's wrist. His grip was much stronger than it should have been.

"Calm down Cariad," the Welshman soothed.

He tried to prise Jack's fingers open, but the older man simply tightened his grip. He continued to yell in the unknown language. Ianto tried to pull away, but he couldn't escape. The more he pulled, the harder Jack held him. Ianto screamed his wrist was crushed in the other man's vice like hand. He felt the bones breaking and had to fight off a wave of nausea.

"Jack, please," he gasped. "You have to let go. You're hurting me."

After what seemed like an eternity, Jack finally released Ianto, before collapsing back on the bed. Clutching his damaged arm to his body, Ianto left Jack in the bedroom and went to call Owen.

"Has there been a change?" The medic asked.

"You could say that," the Welshman hissed through gritted teeth. "He just broke my wrist."

"What?"

Ianto explained what had happened, trying not to let Owen know how much pain he was in.

"I'm on my way," Owen told him. "Better stay away from until I get there."

"Okay, I'll …"

Owen heard Ianto grunt, followed by someone yelling in a strange language.

"Ianto! What's going on?"

The medic listened to the sounds of a fight for a couple of minutes before hanging up. He could only assume that Jack was up and he'd attacked Ianto again. He called over to Gwen to go with him and they headed back to Ianto's place.

In the flat, Ianto was losing the fight. Jack was stronger than him at the best of times, but something seemed to be supplying him with something extra. His broken wrist was hindering him badly, and the blows he was landing with his left fist, were fairly ineffectual. The same couldn't be said for Jack. His fists flew true, pounding heavily into Ianto's face and torso.

"Jack, stop," Ianto whimpered, the pain threatening to consume him. "Please stop."

The Captain clasped the younger man's head in his hands and bounced it off the wall behind him. Ianto went down like a sack of potatoes, unconscious before he hit the floor. Jack looked down at him, with a look of confusion on his face.

"Ianto?" He questioned, kneeling down next to the stricken man. "What happened?"

Dizziness washed over Jack and he slumped down beside his injured lover.

**Hope you enjoyed. I will try to have the next part up very soon.**


	2. More Hurt

**A/N Thank you for all the lovely reviews and follows. I had intended this to be a two-parter, but it seems to be getting away from me. It is now going to be three parts (possibly four).**

It took Gwen mere seconds to break into Ianto's flat and she was unprepared for the scene she encountered. Jack and Ianto lay unconscious next to each other. The younger man's face was bruised and bleeding, while beside him, hack trembling.

"Oh my God!" Gwen exclaimed. "Did Jack do that?"

"Seems so," Owen replied, briefly assessing Ianto's injuries. "Do me a favour and get two sets of handcuffs from the SUV."

"Whatever for?"

"Jack may know he's done this, but I doubt it," he explained. "He could do it again though, so we need to restrain him. Ianto has a brilliantly useful wrought iron bedframe. Not that I want to think too much about how these two use it."

As soon as they had Jack secured to the bed, Owen turned his attention back to Ianto. He patted the Welshman's cheek.

"Hey Yan, wakey wakey."

Ianto stirred and opened his eyes.

"Owen?" He queried. The memories of what had happened came surging back. "Where's Jack?" There was fear in his voice.

"Don't worry love," Gwen gently assured him. "He's in the bedroom. You're safe."

"I need to get away from here," Ianto gasped as he tried to sit up.

"And I need to treat those wounds," Owen said firmly, helping the other man to his feet, "So we'll go back to hub and Gwen can stay here with Jack."

He turned to Gwen.

"Whatever happens, do not uncuff him," he warned. "You've seen what he's capable of. And, whatever you do, don't tell him he hurt the tea boy."

The two men left and Gwen peered around the bedroom door. Jack seemed to be waking up.

"Hey," she said, trying to keep her voice cheerful. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," the Captain replied weakly. He tugged at the handcuffs. "Usually when I'm cuffed to the bed, Ianto is here too."

Gwen gave him a sympathetic smile. "Whatever your illness is, it is making you violent. We've had to restrain you for your own safety."

"Where _is_ Ianto?" Jack asked. He had an uneasy feeling that the handcuffs and Ianto's absence were connected. Something at the back of his fuzzy mind was trying to tell him something. "Did I do something to him?"

"He's fine," Gwen lied. "Owen needed his help at the hub. He'll be back soon."

Jack seemed to accept the lie and he drifted back to sleep.

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At the hub, Ianto sat in silence as Owen treated his wounds. Thanks to the drugs Owen had pumped into him, he was no longer in pain. Not physically anyway. Emotionally, he wasn't so pain free. Logically, Ianto knew Jack wasn't to blame, but it was Jack's fists that had hit him and Jack's mouth which had snarled at him. He shuddered involuntarily.

"It wasn't him Yan." Owen said quietly.

"I know," Ianto snapped back. "Sorry. I'm a little tense at the moment."

Owen smiled as he finished putting a cast on Ianto's wrist.

"No worries mate." He chuckled slightly. "Of course, when this is all over, think of all the stuff you're going to be able to get him do by way of apology."

Ianto reflected Owen's smile with a sadder one of his own.

"That's assuming we get through this."

"I'm working on it," the medic tried to reassure the Welshman. "Any idea what language he was speaking?"

Ianto shook his head. "Maybe Gwen could record it if he does it again. Tosh could try it in one of her language translators."

"Good plan."

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Gwen acknowledged the text from Owen asking her to record Jack speaking the strange language. She didn't have to wait long, as shortly after, angry Jack woke up. Gwen videoed him as he yelled and struggled against the cuffs. Whatever it was controlling him, it was clearly unhappy about being restrained. The shouting went on for several minutes, during which, Gwen found herself crying. It was heart breaking to see Jack compromised like this.

Finally, the yelling stopped. Jack's eyes rolled back and he fell back against the pillows. Gwen quickly emailed the footage to Tosh and sat back down next to Jack.

"I hope you're fighting in there," she murmured as she stroked his sweat soaked hair. "We want you back."

Jack's eyes shot open and he glared wildly at the woman next to him.

"Gwen? What's going on?"

"What do you remember?"

Jack thought hard, trying to dredge the fog in his mind.

"It's hazy," he answered. "I know there's something in here with me, but I can't tell what. I can feel it trying to take control."

"It has done a couple of times. Are you aware of it?"

Jack shook his head. "Ianto!" He blurted. "He was injured. Did I do that?"

"He's fine Jack. He…."

"Please don't lie to me Gwen," the Captain pleaded. "You've got me handcuffed and I can vaguely remember Ianto lying unconscious and bleeding."

Gwen sighed heavily. "You know it was you. It was the thing inside you."

"How bad was it?"

She tried to tell him not to worry, but she might as well have tried to hold back the sea.

"I don't know the full diagnosis," she finally conceded. "But from what I saw, he had facial injuries and a broken wrist."

Much to Gwen's shock, Jack started crying. Pulling a tissue from the box on the bedside cabinet, she tried the tears as they fell down his cheeks.

"He'll never forgive me." Jack sobbed.

"Yes he will, sweetheart." Gwen soothed softly.

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"I've got something." Owen announced as he emerged from the autopsy bay.

Ianto, who'd been made to rest on the sofa, sat up in anticipation.

"I have a match on the orange gloop," Owen continued. "UNIT have a file on something practically identical."

He opened the file on one of the screens at his work station. Ianto made his way over and read the information with increasing horror. A UNIT soldier in the early eighties had been infected and had gone on to kill twelve people before he was stopped.

"The poor bastard was shot dead to prevent further deaths," Owen pointed out.

Ianto didn't want to ask his next question, but knew it was something they had to consider.

"If we kill Jack," he asked tentatively. "Will he be free from the thing when he revives?"

Owen shrugged. "I honestly don't know. It's difficult to judge anything when it comes to Jack. We'll leave it as a last resort. Any joy on the language Tosh?"

"Not yet," she answered. "Does the UNIT file have a name for the alien?"

"Erm… they say it is a Venlika. Whatever the hell that is."

Tosh typed the name into the computer and crossed matched it with the video of Jack. The three of them waited in silence while the system went to work. A tense ten minutes later, the screen filled with a translation of what Jack was yelling. Ianto read it out loud.

"I am Commander Barang of the Venlika. You will release me immediately. I will not be held prisoner. Return me to my people."

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" asked Owen.

"We need to talk to it," commented Ianto.

"Give me an hour," said Tosh, typing furiously. "I should be able to set up a program which will translate the other way."

Before anyone could answer, Owen's phone rang. He listened for a while then said he would be there soon.

"That was Gwen. Apparently Jack, or rather the alien, is going nuts. She thinks he might hurt himself if he doesn't stop. Are you coming Yan?"

Ordinarily, Ianto would be at Jack's side like a shot. This time however, he couldn't bring himself to be anywhere near to him.

"I'll wait here," he mumbled softly.

Owen didn't push the issue. He simply grabbed his medical kit and left the hub.

"You'll have to see him sooner or later," Tosh told him.

"I know," Ianto replied grimly. "But not until he is just Jack again."


	3. Hurt and Comfort

**Thank you for the brilliant response to the last chapter. I'm not 100% sure this chapter quite works.**

It took Owen three attempts to get a syringe full of sedative into Jack. The larger man was thrashing wildly, so the medic had to settle for jabbing it into his shoulder. It wasn't until the Captain had settled down, that Owen noticed the blood dripping from one of his wrists. He'd pulled so hard against the cuffs; the metal had cut into the flesh. Luckily, it wasn't deep and was away from an artery. Working quickly, Owen released the wrist and wrapped a bandage around it. Even though the other arm was fine, he padded that one with a bandage also.

"How's Ianto?" Gwen asked, once Jack was sorted.

"Not great," Owen answered her. "His face and torso are badly bruised and his wrist is definitely broken." They will all heal though."

"I guess he's having difficulty processing all of this."

"Can you blame him?" The medic asked. "He's not an idiot though. Our tea boy is stronger than he seems. He'll get through this and he'll take Jack with him.

"Will we get through this one Owen?"

The medic gave her one of his patented 'reassuring-the-relatives' smiles.

"Of course we will."

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"It's ready," Tosh called out to Ianto.

Receiving no reply, she looked around the hub. The Welshman was nowhere in sight. Part of her wanted to search out her friend, to make sure he was ok, but Jack was the priority right now. She gathered her equipment together and dashed out of the building.

Up in the hothouse, Ianto watched her go. He knew Jack needed him, but all he could see when he thought of his lover, was a snarl and a fist. Ianto had to take some time to think things through. He needed to sort his head out. How was he even supposed to work with Jack, let alone sleep with him, if he couldn't even look at the man?

Ianto had deliberately hidden from Toshiko in order to leave the hub unobserved. Ideally, he would have gone home, but the team were currently occupying his flat. A pub would have to do for now, so he made his way up to the Terra Nova on Mermaid Quay. Ianto could have really done with a drink, but Owen would kill him if he added alcohol to his medication. A soft drink would have to do.

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When Tosh entered Ianto's flat, she found Gwen and Owen in the kitchen drinking tea.

"I'd prefer coffee," Owen whinged. "But the machine he has here makes the one at the hub look primitive."

"Did Ianto not come with you?" Gwen asked, peering around Tosh to see if he was there.

"I don't know where he is," Tosh confessed. "I didn't have time to look for him."

Gwen and Owen exchanged worried glances.

"Am I needed here?" The former pc asked.

"No," said Owen. "Go and find him."

The medic finished his tea, then he and Tosh went to set up the translation equipment. Jack woke while they were working.

"Is Ianto here?" His voice came out pained and weak.

Tosh looked to Owen, unsure of what to say. Jack saw the look.

"He's afraid of me, isn't he?

"Try not to fret Jack," she soothed gently. "Let's get you better, and then you can worry about Ianto."

"I have to…" Jack faltered. "I have…"

All of a sudden, Jack was gone and Commander Barang was back. Tosh activated the translator. She'd fitted the equipment with voice recognition and simulation, to save having to type and read everything.

"Why am I a prisoner?" The Commander demanded.

"You're possessing my colleague, and you attacked another." It was almost instantly translated and relayed in the Venlik's own language.

"This is not my body?"

"No," Tosh replied. "It belongs to Captain Jack Harkness."

"I can feel him fighting against me. I thought _he_ had infiltrated _me_. Where am I?"

"This is Earth," explained Tosh. "You came through a rift in space and time. You were an orange blob when you arrived."

"That is part of our lifecycle."

Owen and Tosh listened, with interest, as Barang explained what we meant. His species started out looking like humans. After about fifty sun cycles, the body began to disintegrate. They became an orange jelly substance before transforming into a pure energy being.

"I don't understand how I came to be in the body of your captain." Barang continued. His story seemed to have sapped his strength.

"You exploded all over him." Tosh told him. "Do you know how we can separate you without killing you?"

"I'm sorry," Barang whispered, as he fell back to unconsciousness.

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"Ianto?" Gwen called as she entered the hub. "Are you here?"

The base was too big to search, so Gwen tried to pinpoint Ianto's life sign instead. She found nothing. The man obviously wasn't in the building.

"Where are you sweetheart?" She murmured, mostly to herself.

Scanning through the CCTV, Gwen as able to discover when he'd left. She followed him via the public network and saw him go into the pub.

Gwen entered the Terra Nova a few minutes later and quickly located Ianto. He'd positioned himself at a table in the far corner.

"May I join you?" She asked.

Ever the gentleman, Ianto stood and pulled Gwen's chair  
out for her.

"Can I get you a drink?" He politely asked.

"Erm… I'll have half a pint please."

She watched him struggle to get the money from his pocket, but resisted the urge to help him. If there was one thing she knew about Ianto Jones, it was his fierce, stubborn pride.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, as he placed the drink in front of her. "How are you?"

"I've been better." Ianto understated.

"Jack has been asking for you."

The Welshman sighed. "I want to be there for him. Jack doesn't take well to losing control."

"Then why are you hiding from him?"

"I'm not hiding," he snapped. "It's just hard to accept that he could attack me like this."

"You know it wasn't…"

"Don't tell me it wasn't him," Ianto yelled, drawing looks from the bar's other patrons. "I _know_ that."

"Okay, calm down."

Ianto took a deep breath to compose himself.

"Thank you for your concern Gwen," he said to her, laying a hand on her arm. "I do appreciate it, but it is something I have to work through with Jack."

"Come back to your flat."

He shook his head. "You have to remember, that the person who _did_ attack me, is still there."

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Tosh and Owen had to wait over thirty minutes for Barang to regain consciousness. Owen tried not to be too concerned that Jack hadn't re-emerged in the meantime.

"This body is failing." Barang told them. "It can't support both of us."

"Can you not leave?" Tosh asked. "You said you evolved into energy."

"I can't leave voluntarily," he replied sadly. "If this body dies, I will be forced out, but I am not ready to fully evolve yet. I will die too."

Owen motioned for Tosh to join him in the other room.

"What do we do?" He whispered.

"I don't know," she answered. "We know Jack will be fine, but it isn't Barang's fault he's trapped."

"He almost killed Ianto, remember."

"Out of fear Owen. He didn't know what was happening."

"Are you guys still here?" A weak American accent came from the bedroom.

"Hey Jack," Owen greeted him.

"Any solutions yet?" the Captain asked.

Tosh explained the current situation.

"I wonder if the Commander would be able to return to the orange gloop," Jack postulated. "Most of it is still there, if not in one piece."

"Jack you're a genius," Owen exclaimed. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be back as quick as I can."


	4. Comfort

**Here it is. The last chapter. Thank you to everyone who followed and/or reviewed.**

Can I get you another drink?" Ianto offered Gwen.

"No thank you Ianto," she declined. "I should get back to your flat. It feels weird saying that. Are you sure you won't come too?"

"I can't."

Gwen could have cried at the look of despair in Ianto's eyes. She could understand his pain though, knowing she would feel the same had it been Rhys.

"Okay sweetheart. Will you be alright on your own?

"I'll be okay when all of this is over."

Gwen stood up. "I'll call you if there are any developments."

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Ianto returned to the hub twenty minutes later and found Owen in the autopsy bay.

"How's Jack?" He asked the medic.

"He's gonna die mate," Owen told him, a little too bluntly. "They both will if we can't get Barang out of him. Unfortunately, Jack has to die for the Commander to be released."

Ianto nodded his acceptance of the information and asked what Owen was planning on doing.

"I'm trying to re-amalgamate the orange gloopy stuff," he told the Welshman. "I've analysed the structure of it and I think I can synthesise some more. It needs to be stable enough for Barang to occupy."

"What can I do?"

Owen carefully assessed the man in front of him.

"Are you up to it?" he questioned. "And I don't just mean physically."

"Just tell me what you need."

The medic shrugged resignedly. When Ianto was in one of his stubborn frames of mind, there was little point in arguing.

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All was quiet when Gwen arrived back at the flat. Tosh was leafing through a book on the history of Cardiff, next to the still unconscious Jack.

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah," the other woman told her. "Still couldn't get him to come back. Is Owen not here?"

Tosh explained that he'd left in a hurry with an apparent idea for a solution.

"I hope he comes back soon," she continued. "Jack and Barang have both remained unconscious the whole time he's been gone."

"I'll put the kettle on," Gwen said. Mainly just for something to do.

Commander Barang came to around twenty five minutes later. It was very obvious he wasn't going to last for much longer.

"May I speak to the man I attacked?"

"He's not here." Tosh informed him.

"Will he survive?"

"You did some serious damage, but it isn't life threatening," Gwen assured him.

"Please give him my most profound apologies. I believed I had been taken prisoner. Had I been aware of the situation, I would never have committed such an atrocity."

"Apology accepted."

Tosh and Gwen turned at the sound of Ianto's voice and saw him standing just outside the door. He gave them a weak smile.

"You came back." Tosh stated.

"Owen said he couldn't do this without Jack dying," Ianto explained softly. "I promised him I would always try to be there when he revived."

"I don't understand," Barang said with confusion. "How can someone revive from death?"

"Let us just say, Jack is special." Owen told him. "Ok let's get on shall we."

The medic told them all about the synthesised gloop. He'd managed to successfully mix the artificial stuff with the original.

"I'm hoping that when you leave Jack," Owen continued. "You'll be able to back to the state you were in when you first arrived."

"Thank you for trying," Barang said gratefully. "Especially after the hurt I've caused. If this fails, please know that I am extremely appreciative of what you're doing for me."

Tosh asked the Commander what they should do with him if all went to plan. He told her he would need to be put somewhere cool and dark. When the time was right, he would transform into energy and leave. His strength ran out and he once again lapsed into unconsciousness.

"Final question," Owen broke in. "Do we wait for death to occur naturally or do I help it along?"

"Owen!" Gwen exclaimed. "I thought that, as a doctor, you weren't supposed to do any harm."

"I carry and use a gun, in case you haven't noticed," he shot back. "Besides, you and I both know that all bets are off when it comes to Jack."

"I think you should ask Ianto," Tosh remarked quietly.

They all turned back to the Welshman, who looked completely panicked.

"Why me?" He asked, his voice a little too high.

"Because we can't ask Jack," Tosh told him. "You know him better than anyone. What would he say?"

Ianto stared at them all aghast, and then went through to sit heavily on the sofa. For all intents and purposes, he was being asked to give an execution order for Jack. Yes, he was going to die anyway, and yes, he would be fine, but it was still one hell of an ask. Tosh, Owen and Gwen watched him without saying a word. They all knew how much of a toll the whole situation was taking on him.

"Do it quickly." Ianto finally announced. "He'd want us to do it quickly."

Okay," Owen acknowledged and swung into action.

He opened the rucksack he'd brought with him and extracted a large jar containing the gloop. He placed it on the bedside table and removed the lid.

"Can you remove the handcuffs before you do it?" Ianto asked as he entered the bedroom. "Let him die with some dignity?"

Owen undid the cuffs and gently laid Jack's arms by his sides. Ianto carefully unwound the bandages, before climbing onto the bed. With the medic's help, he got into a position which enabled him to hold Jack, making sure his injured arm was out of the way. Once Ianto was settled; Owen injected Jack with a lethal cocktail of drugs.

Everyone held their breaths as they waited to see how things would play out. For what seemed like the longest time, nothing happened. Suddenly, Jack's back arched and a faint glow burst from his chest. Owen held up the jar and watched as the glow merged with the gloop. On the bed, Jack's body fell back heavily. All life had gone from it. Ianto instantly started fussing over him. It was a habit he'd unconsciously developed. He teased Jack's hair back into place and smoothed out his clothing. None of the others noticed any of this as they were too busy looking at the jar containing Commander Barang.

Something was going very wrong. Even though he was in uncharted territory, Owen knew in his gut that it wasn't going to work. The gloop was losing cohesion and the lumps which were breaking off were solidifying.

"Can't you do anything Owen?" Gwen pleaded.

"No," said Owen, as the glow in the jar dissipated. "He's gone."

At that moment, Jack gasped back into life. Ianto held tightly onto him as the older man came through the initial confused panic.

"Ianto?" Jack whispered as soon as he'd got his bearings. "You're here?"

The Welshman said nothing. He simply offered Jack a shy smile; one of the ones which always got Jack's heart beating a little faster. The Captain returned the smile then turned his attention to Owen.

"Did you save him?

The Londoner shook his head. "Afraid not. I think he was simply too weak."

Jack hung his head sadly. He silently cursed the rift for taking the life of yet another person.

"Ok," he said eventually. "We've imposed in Ianto's space for too long. You three tidy up here then go back to the hub. Tosh and Gwen start the paper work. Owen, place the good Commander in the morgue."

When the others had gone, Jack and Ianto stood facing each other in the living room. The older man reached out and stroked his lover's battered face. It tore at his heart when he felt Ianto flinch at his touch.

"How can I even begin to ask you to forgive the unforgivable?

"You didn't do this Jack," the younger man assured him softly. "Commander Barang did this and I fully understand his reasons. You just need to be patient with me though. My heart knows the truth but my head is confused."

Jack's hand moved to the back of Ianto's head and he gently pulled him in for a kiss. In deference to Ianto's injuries, it wasn't one of their passionate, lip crushing kisses. Jack's lips lightly brushed those of the younger man. Ianto brought his good hand round to stroke Jack's back. The touch was enough to let the Captain know that he and his Welshman were going to be fine.

"Can I write on your cast?" Jack asked when they finally pulled apart.

Ianto laughed. The sound made Jack's soul soar.

"As long as it isn't X-rated."

Jack rooted around in one of Ianto's drawers and found a marker pen. He instructed his lover to look away while he got to work. Eventually, he proudly revealed his handiwork. Ianto couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw what had been done.

Jack had drawn a large heart. Within it he'd written, 'JH & IJ 4 EVER'.


End file.
